Difference Between A Religious Study Major And A Theologian

Difference Between A Religious Study Major And A Theologian

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Description/Paper Instructions

Difference Between A Religious Study Major And A Theologian

Assignment: World Religion

Directions: Pick a religion, preferably not your own.

Then write two paragraphs. For the first paragraph, suppose you are studying that religion as religious studies major.

1. What would you ask about it? For the second paragraph, suppose you are a theologian defending that religion.
2. What would you say about it?  The goal of this assignment is to show that you know the difference between a religious study major and a theologian.

Example:

Limit your answer to one or two sentences for each question.  Here is an example.  Suppose you are looking at Islam.  In the first paragraph, religious studies student might ask what the meaning of the Ramadan fast is to Moslems.  In the second paragraph, a Moslem theologian might argue why keep the Ramadan fast.

Your answer should be between 150 and 300 words.

Helpful Notes for this assignment:

Religion – We will look at religion as a universal part of human culture;  the study of religion stands outside the faith.

Theology approaches religion from within a particular faith tradition. That is because theologians look at a religion from within a faith tradition.  They are building arguments in favor of their particular tradition, to strengthen the faith of others or persuade adherents to join their faith.

A theologian is a person who engages in the discipline of theology. The word ‘theology’ derives from two ancient Greek words that may be transliterated into English as ‘theos’ (meaning “god”) and ‘logos’ (literally meaning “word”). theology is the specific sub-discipline that tries to give an account of the nature of God—the “doctrine of God”—and thus is a kind of study of God.

Anyone who spends time trying to make sense of her faith in God fits in the first category. “ordinary theologians”. These are people to whom Anselm’s famous motto, “faith seeking understanding” might apply: they have faith and their informal ordinary theologizing is an attempt to understand that faith more deeply.

Deliberate theologians are generally those who pursue theology as a formal discipline—often an academic discipline. who pursue the discipline of theology in a conscious, deliberate, and systematic way.  This category of theologians would include the range of thinkers that are traditionally called theologians, such as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Karl Barth, or Wolfhart Pannenberg.

Theology usually has at least three tasks:

1. Interpreting the significance of objects, events, and experiences from the perspective of faith;
2. Connecting thinking about faith with everything else in life, such as science, culture, and arts;
3. Assessing what is true, intelligible, appropriate, or morally sound with respect to these matters.

the hope is that theologizing leads to a stronger and wider faith, and perhaps to greater potential for religious ministry.

These sub-disciplines include biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, moral theology, and practical theology.

Systematic theology and philosophy have had a mixed and controversial relationship at least since Tertullian’s (an early Church father – 160 – 220 C.E.) famous quip, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Tertullian’s statement expresses the view that the Western tradition of philosophy originating in ancient Greece—and Athens in particular—is set against Judeo-Christian thought, and thus that Christians should keep their theological thought separate from the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, and others who came after them in the Western tradition.

Systematic theology is an academic discipline that aims to give a critical and balanced account of central themes in Christian belief and practice.

In  Theology for the Community of God , the late theologian Stanley Grenz offers the following definition of systematic theology: “the reflection on, and the ordered articulation of, faith” (p. 1).   “dogmatics” or “dogmatic theology” since it is an effort to articulate dogmas or doctrines of various theological topics.

take their view of this “matter,” or one idea, and reinterpret all of scripture in terms of it.  In English this approach is called “theological interpretation.”  The problem is that much in Scripture is thrown out with this approach, in an effort to fit Scripture with the “one idea”.

The true theological “system” should only be understood as an eschatological goal—something to be aimed for, worked toward, but never reached this side of heaven—and not as a presupposition of one’s systematic theology.  Thus, systematic theology should not be understood as a discipline whereby we construct grand theological systems.

Here the “systematic” in systematic theology refers to the way the theologian goes about answering theological questions, i.e., in a thorough, deliberate, systematic way, with a view to how answers to the questions relate to other areas of our knowledge or belief. systematic theologians are in the business of synthesizing a single coherent viewpoint that is not as sensitive to exception and variation.

Systematic theology is traditionally divided into the following sub-disciplines: revelation (i.e., the theology of scripture), theology (i.e., the doctrine of God), anthropology (i.e., the theology of human beings), hamartiology (i.e., the theology of human sinfulness), Christology (i.e., the theology of Jesus Christ), pneumatology (i.e., the theology of the Holy Spirit), soteriology (i.e., the theology of salvation), ecclesiology (i.e., the theology of the church), and eschatology (i.e., the theology of last things).

Biblical theology is the sub-discipline of Christian theology that aims to understand and synthesize what scripture, or the Bible, tells us about God and other theological topics.

For example, in formulating a doctrine of creation—an account of how and why God created the world and its inhabitants—systematic theologians routinely draw on scientific data, such as the conclusions of astronomy and evolutionary biology (e.g., see Hans Schwarz’s  Creation ). Second, biblical theology is distinct from systematic theology in that it does not necessarily take up questions of what is true or false about various theological topics.  Biblical theology is thus analytical and descriptive

Topic 2: The Definition of Religion

Some definitions are too exclusive, for example, anthropologist Edward Tylor defines religion as “belief in spiritual beings.”

Theologian Paul Tillich defines religion as “being grasped by an ultimate concern.”  What is someone’s ultimate concern is seeking pleasure.

sociologist Steve Bruce in 1996:

“Religion, then, consists of beliefs, actions, and institutions which assume the existence of supernatural entities with powers of action, or impersonal powers or processes possessed of moral purpose.

Religion is a language game in a community, which may. or may not include:

1. Belief in supernatural or spiritual beings.
2. Myths about the formation of the world or the religious community.
3. Rituals and symbols.
4. Some kind of scripture of holy document.
5. Ways to relate to the spiritual beings through prayer, meditation, or other activities.
6. A system of ethical rules.
7. Spiritual leaders such as shamans, priests, rabbis, ministers, or imans.
8. An eschatology or vision of the end of days.

Note: not every religion contains all of these, but most contain most of these.  There is what Wittgenstein would call a “family resemblance” between different religions.

RUBRIC QUALITY OF RESPONSE NO RESPONSE POOR / UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD EXCELLENT Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) Zero points:  Student failed to submit the final paper. 20 points out of 50:  The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. 30 points out of 50:  The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately.  Elements of the required response may also be lacking. 40 points out of 50:  The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples.  The answer is complete. 50 points:  The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples.  No aspects of the required answer are missing. Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). Zero points:  Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. 5 out 20 points:  Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. 10 out 20 points:  References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated.  Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. 15 out 20 points:  Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented.  APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors.  There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. 20 points:  Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented.  APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) Zero points:  Student failed to submit the final paper. 5 points out of 20:  The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors  10 points out 20:  The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors 15 points out of 20:  The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. 20 points:  The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) Zero points:  Student failed to submit the final paper. 3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. 5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. They can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements.  The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper 7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. 10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally, the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper.
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